In a ceremony commemorating Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue of the Mamba outside the Crypto.com Arena on Thursday. The statue, standing 19 feet tall, shows Bryant pointing up to the sky while wearing his number eight jersey — the number he wore from his rookie year until the 2005-06 season. Sculpted to represent his famous 81-point game, Bryant's statue drew a number of reactions from fans and basketball personalities alike, one of whom was fellow Laker legend Magic Johnson.

Speaking to the media following the ceremony, Johnson labeled the statue the best one he's ever seen. Additionally, he had also taken a liking to how Bryant's accolades were listed at the base of the statue.

“It's the best statue I've seen,” Johnson said, per Sportskeeda's Mark Medina. “…I love the stone below him (with) all the accomplishments. I think that was special.”

Johnson then went on to explain how including Bryant's accolades on the statue would carry the Mamba's legacy over to the younger fans of today — particularly the youth who have never watched him play.

“A lot of people, who'd never seen him (Bryant) play, in terms of young people, they can say ‘Ohhh okay,'” Johnson stated, mimicking a nodding expression of approval. “Because a lot of times what happens when kids come up…they can come up and see my statue but they've never seen me play. But I don't have all that. That's what's special about it, that he has all the accolades.”

With two more statues of Kobe Bryant set for completion in the future, the Lakers have shown that the Mamba will always be synonymous with the organization that he represented for 20 memorable seasons.